We were lucky to catch up with Taylor Lianne Chandler recently and have shared our conversation below.

Taylor Lianne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

My first client, Constellation Brands, heard my radio show, Taylor Chandler Gives Good Radio Show, and reached out to me to be the keynote speaker for Transgender Day of Visibility. It was exciting and scary. I had to take my personal story and incorporate their vision and pillars. The day of the event it was storming and video went out, so I did the complete presentation with a photo and them just hearing my voice. My message resonated and was a great success. I believe it was a blessing in disguise not being seen live. It really allowed me the comfort and freedom to dive deep into my story of how I came into fame and got to this place of running my own company.

Taylor Lianne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was a sign language interpreter in 2014, when I was dating Michael Phelps, the Olympic swimmer. After he got the DUI, the media saw me leaving his house and became obsessed with knowing more about me. On November 19, 2014 I was outed in the media worldwide. My whole life became public, and my interpreting career came to an end. I was broken and did not know what to do. In the years that followed I used my celebrity to become a servant leader and help others, predominantly Black and brown LGBTQIA2S+ community. I worked for two non profits in the years that followed, Us Helping Us People Into Living and then Covenant House. Both jobs showed me the dark side of non profit work, so I decided to start my own business, TLC Consulting & Solutions, LLC specializing in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility. It allowed me to do the work I love, elevating Black and brown voices through Advocacy, Marketing and creating safe spaces. I’ve used my celebrity to shine a light on marginalized communities. My work these days speaks for itself, but because the way media works, I’m always Michael Phelps ex girlfriend in the headlines. It used to bother me, but now I don’t mind if that is what it takes to bring attention to my work. I’ve written 3 books, been in everything from Time magazine to Glamour, TV, like Entertainment Tonight, to E! News and everything in between. My Howard Stern interview is one of the highest rated. I’m currently working on my complete memoir, Beyond the Gold. I’ve become a go to speaker on Gender rights, social justice and DEIA, locally, nationally, and internationally. These days I train companies on DEIA specific to LGBTQIA2S+. I sit on the board of Capital Pride Alliance, which will be hosting World Pride in 2025, and the Equality Chamber of Commerce which promotes LGBTQ business in the Washington, DC area. I’m also board certified as a Transgender Healthcare Therapist. My clients have been American Express, Peer View Institute, Constellation Brands, Camunda, and many others. My career is rewarding and fulfilling.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building my social media presence came fairly easy due to my celebrity and consistently being on tv and in the news. I learned hashtags were my best friend, and through trial and error really learned to perfect my craft. I keep my content relevant to the work I do, issues I care about and tv, radio and print interviews I do. Across all platforms I have over 100,000 followers.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

People tried to make me being Intersex a bad thing. They tried to vilify my relationship with Michael Phelps, like it’s not ok to love someone like me. I dealt with massive hate online for years. It made me strong and resilient. Instead of engaging I block people now. It lead me to be ok with labels and feeling comfortable in my skin and truth. It has made me stick up for the underdog and reinforce my passion to achieve equity regardless of who you are and how you identify. I’m lucky and grateful to have a career that is rewarding and fulfilling.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.taylorliannechandler.com
• Instagram: RealTayChaTLC
• Facebook: TLC Consulting & Solutions
• Linkedin: RealTayChaTLC
• Twitter: RealTayChaTLC
• Youtube: RealTayChaTLC